Action Comics #29

By Greg Pak, Aaron Kuder, Jed Dougherty & Will Quintana.

Action Comics, ever since Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder took over creative duties in #25, has been among the best Superman books that DC is putting out right now, and arguably there’s enough issues under their belt to say that this series fits in with the Top 10 Comics that DC are publishing. Pak and Kuder are delivering a great take on the Man of Steel, and each issue just keeps getting better and better.

This issue itself sees what should be the final fight between Superman and the Ghost Soldier. He’s been Superman’s main nemesis for the majority of Pak’s run so far and it’s interesting to watch the fight between him and Superman unfold, especially when pencilled so wonderfully by Aaron Kuder, who has help from Jed Dougherty in this book on the art – whilst Will Quintana further adds great depth to the issue with some amazing colours.

The book itself opens with Clark in a pretty perilous situation and things don’t get better as easy as Clark would like. It can be hard to get Superman in character and make the man routable, likable and interesting and it’s safe to say that Pak has managed that with his writing abilities, and he’s more than capable of creating a Superman book that is unpredictable and awesome. A few more hints are dropped about the bigger picture on display here and who the Ghost Soldier’s orders are, and it’ll be very interesting to see how this arc plays out in future issues especially with the last page reveal as a character who claims to be more than a match for the Man of Steel.

Action Comics, like most of the Superman line, has undergone not-so stable launch since the beginning of the new 52 and after Morrison was removed from the title it was unable to establish just why it should be regarded as one of DC’s flagship titles. Now though, it’s easily making a case for why it should be regarded as such – the book is just incredible. Out of the three strongest Superman books, Action Comics, Superman Unchained and Superman/Wonder Woman, at least in my view, Action Comics – with Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder, are proving why this series is the best Superman book currently on the market.

The only real problem with Action Comics #29 is its cover, which is a far cry from the quality interior artwork and could have been a whole lot better – which is a real shame. However, that’s pretty much it with the flaws – Action Comics is very much the best Superman book on shelves right now, with a great characterization of the Man of Steel that will appeal to both new fans who were converted with the New 52 and Man of Steel and fans from before the reboot. It’s a series is consistently great – and it’ll be very interesting to see where Pak and Kuder take Clark Kent from here.